Salted Pretzel Brownies
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:16 brownies
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1cup/120 grams graham cracker crumbs (from about 7 graham cracker sheets)
- ½cup/30 grams finely crushed pretzels
- 1egg white
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 4ounces/115 grams unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped or broken up
- 1¼cups/250 grams granulated sugar
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- ½cup/65 grams all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅓cup/60 grams mini or regular chocolate chips (optional)
- Small whole pretzels, for topping the brownies
For the Crust
For the Brownies
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
299 calories; 19 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 147 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square metal baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of excess on each side to help you lift the cooked brownies out of the pan.
- Step 2
Make the crust: In a food processor, combine butter, graham cracker crumbs, crushed pretzels and egg white. Process until mixture is well blended. Transfer to prepared pan and press crumb mixture into an even layer on the bottom. Bake until deeply browned at the edges, about 14 to 17 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.
- Step 3
Make the brownies: Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Put butter and chocolate into a medium pot and place it over low heat. Melt the mixture, taking care not to let the chocolate burn and stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until smooth. Scrape chocolate mixture into a large bowl and mix in the sugar. Let mixture cool until it’s just warm to the touch, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Whisk eggs into cooled chocolate mixture. Whisk in flour, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt. Mix in chocolate chips, if using.
- Step 5
Scrape batter into an even layer on top of the crust. Top with pretzels and bake until the top is set and firm to touch, especially in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
John F
I am eager to try these, but I wonder . . . why is the oven temperature is so high? 350 is usual for brownies (& is the oven temperature Melissa C uses in the pecan pie-topped & coconut-topped variations--those toppings would burn at a higher temp--but not the pretzels?)
maisie d
Made these brownies last night. I agree with others about the crust having too much butter. For those wondering about oven temp, I think I’d suggest keeping it lower. My brownies got a bit burnt on the edges and were VERY gooey in the middle. Pretty much turned into one molten chocolate lava cake. Trying to cut them was a bit of a nightmare, but tasted good nonetheless.
nikki m
I was so excited to try this recipe but there is WAY too much butter in the crust. I mixed the crust mixture by hand but that shouldn’t have made a difference- the butter was oozing out of the crust as it Cooked and ruined the entire dish. Would recommend using half the recommended amount
Anne
Full caveat that I substantially altered these brownies. For the brownies, I used Ghirardelli's box mix and topped them with Pepperidge Farms pretzel goldfish. Pretzel goldfish made them easy to cut into small pieces - and the box mix. I baked the brownies at 350 for about 45 min (approx. the box mix directions). I made the crust as written but with Dot's pretzels. Tasted great but couldn't taste any Dot's seasoning. Had to blot off a lot of melted butter. Suggest cutting to 5T butter.
Amy C
PS- I did cut back on the butter as others mentioned and was glad I did. 5 T worked well for me.
Capeseahorse
Very rich and decadent brownie.. the crust was delicious. I did two packages of graham crackers .(3packages in a box) One did not seem like enough.
Amy C
In an effort to save others from a similar fate...I made the mistake of covering the top of the brownies with pretzel sticks in a herringbone pattern. I know, too much time on my hands...but it's what I had on hand. I covered the entire surface of the brownies so the heat couldn't bake them evenly. Eventually they did come together, but the extra baking time resulted in the graham cracker crust being overdone and hard. The brownies are really delicious, so I will definitely try again.
will definitely make again
Followed the recipe exactly. They came out perfect. Adding this recipe to my dessert rotation!
holland120
I made these yesterday and I think I would revise... I would use 1/2 amount of butter in the recipe... I would also bake at a lower temp, like 375 for 45 minutes. The brownie was not cooked enough for my taste. The overall taste was amazing!
Adrian
I followed the recipe exactly and the brownies did not fully cook in the center. Thinking that this might work better somewhere between 350-375 for a bit longer. The crust was a bit crumbly, but otherwise the flavor was good overall.
SharonATX
Something is wrong with the weight amount with the graham crackers I think--which might explain why folks are complaining about how much butter there was in the crust (agreed--way too much). I weighed my graham crumbs after measuring out a cup and it was only around 30 grams or so...! That layer was a hot mess, but the brownie layer was good. I think that crumbled pretzels would be better on top since the whole pretzels made for difficult slicing. Overall, not MC's best work.
Cassandra
Reading other reviews, I halved the butter in both parts of the recipe. I used coconut oil in the base (1/4 cup) and olive oil for the brownies (1/3 cup) since I didn’t have enough butter to use for either part. I used semi sweet chocolate chunks since I didn’t have unsweetened so I halved the sugar. I also baked for 35 min at 350 degrees as others suggested. They turned out great! My fave brownie recipe on here is still the olive oil brownies but these ones are a fun change of pace.
Gina McNeal
I made exactly as written. Baked 25 minutes. Edges were definitely done, middle was firm to the touch, but the brownies are very gooey. I used those windowpane pretzels, which look adorable, but when you bite down on the pretzel, the brownie beneath it squeezes out sideways. Delicious but messy to eat.
em
Wish I had read the reviews first. I followed the directions but the crust fell apart and the brownie is too mushy (although felt firm on the top). Definitely would never make this again
Julie
I had a similar experience to others: the crust was too hard, sides somewhat overcooked, and the middle too gooey. Although I followed the recipe, I was disappointed w the result. I would recommend trying a different brownie recipe.
Olive
I followed to the exact recipe except i used a 9” round pan. worked great for me although yes maybe a crispier saltier crust would be good and also sprinkle some flaky salt on the top!
Cassandra
Reading other reviews, I halved the butter in both parts of the recipe. I used coconut oil in the base (1/4 cup) and olive oil for the brownies (1/3 cup) since I didn’t have enough butter to use for either part. I used semi sweet chocolate chunks since I didn’t have unsweetened so I halved the sugar. I also baked for 35 min at 350 degrees as others suggested. They turned out great! My fave brownie recipe on here is still the olive oil brownies but these ones are a fun change of pace.
diane
The brownie layer is delicious—has anyone tried just scattering pretzels (no butter, no graham crackers) on the bottom of the pan before pouring the brownie batter on top and sprinkling pretzels above? Seems dramatically simpler and eliminates both the excess butter and the too-done crust/too-gooey brownie problem. Why add a crust to brownies anyway? Although I do highly recommend the NYTimes shortbread brownies. Yum!
Gavin D
I doubled the recipe (as written - mostly by weight) into a 13 x 9 pan. Crust is crumbly, not overly buttery, but I find it lacking salt! Guess my pretzels weren’t salty enough?? Otherwise I think these came out great. Super fudge-y brownie layer!
tessa
definitely good! But luckily I saw the comments, you have to devise the butter by two in the cookie!
Julia
After reading others' comments, I did one batch at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, and they came out burned around the edges. I did another batch at 350 for 35 minutes, and they still seem to have gone from too goopy to too dry very quickly. The crust is too crumbly. These did not come out looking like bars with very distinct layers as they appear in the photo. I don't think I'll be making this recipe again.
sammo
Oops, should have read the reviews first! I used the weight measurements and the crust came out very oily. There was so much butter in the bottom layer it even affected the edges of the brownie layer. Next time, I think I'll just buy a pack of Trader Joe's bownie mix and crumble some pretzels and Graham crackers into the pan.
Rian G.
This was a bit of a misfire for me. The crust is too wet, as opposed to course and sandy, before baking, then it comes out too crumbly. I think it calls for too much butter and I wonder why the egg white is necessary as I feel it dilutes the flavor of the graham cracker and pretzel. The brownies were too gooey to the point of being underdone. Most brownie recipes call for twice the amount of the baking time.
SharonATX
Something is wrong with the weight amount with the graham crackers I think--which might explain why folks are complaining about how much butter there was in the crust (agreed--way too much). I weighed my graham crumbs after measuring out a cup and it was only around 30 grams or so...! That layer was a hot mess, but the brownie layer was good. I think that crumbled pretzels would be better on top since the whole pretzels made for difficult slicing. Overall, not MC's best work.
JL
I was wary about this recipe because of all of the negative comments, but I made it this morning, following the recipe exactly. I measured my ingredients and baked for the maximum suggested times. Came out perfectly. Not too sweet, very adult flavors despite the kid-friendly pretzels on top. Will keep this in mind for gifts next Christmas.
steve
The crust and brownies came out over cooked. Oven temp perfect. I’d cut crust to 5-7 mins and brownies to about 16-18.
Molly
Made these as recipe lays out and turned out delicious. Yes, a lot of butter in the crust and it comes out of the oven bubbling... but... soaks back in as it cools. I don’t mind butter oozing out my pores so wouldn’t change the amount in the future. Brownie is rather gooey, and I don’t remember it being gooey in the other recipes but alas, here we are.
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